December 7 – Prompt: Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011? (Author: Cali Harris)
I consider our neighborhood about as "community" as it gets in San Jose. We knew we wanted to buy in this neighborhood because of the sense of community. Our neighbors are the kind of people you could go borrow a cup of sugar from (or a hedge trimmer, or Halloween lights, or a SawzAll...the list goes on). They'll watch over your house if someone accidentally leaves the garage door open, and put your dog back in the yard if, or should I say, when, he uses his Houdini skills to escape.
But that's the obvious answer.
When I think about it a little more, I realize that the community that I've really discovered this year, is the Mommy & Daddy (and those-to-be) Community. When you find out you're expecting, all of a sudden a whole new world of people seem to come out of the wood-work. It's like you're being inducted into a private club, and they're all so excited to welcome you in! This is a community of playdates, nannyshares, mommy walks, school talk, hand-me-downs, stories shared, and some great advice, and some bad advice .
Like joining any club, I think there's a sense of belonging, but also a sense of "do I belong?" There's a great support system to be found here, and there can also be a lot of judgment, and a need to feel accepted by the rest of the gang. Luckily, I believe I've stumbled into a great group of new and experienced parents both within our neighborhood and beyond our neighborhood who will nurture us as a young family.
This is the community that we're entering in 2010, and it's going to be our community, and pseudo-family, for many years to come :)
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